Raven was both elated and frightened by the revelation that there was some form of magical runes hidden under the tattoo that marked her back. None of the other spell-casters she had consulted detected them, but then Laeral was no common wizard; she was known as the Lady Mage of Waterdeep and regarded as second only to her consort Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun. “It’s some sort of rune magic, but like nothing I’ve seen before,” she announced, sitting back from her examination, clearly tired by the exertion. “I’ve never heard of this kind of thing being applied to a living being before and I’m certain there’s more to it than just blocking your memory… it’s far too powerful for just that. My guess is that it’s about concealing you from any form of magical detection that could identify you. Essentially hiding you from anyone who knows who you are… including you!” Then Laeral had a thought and turned to face Raven, as she started to redress; “Can you remember anything from your past… any tiny fragment?” “Yes… I get flashes from time to time… bits of things I think I learned as a child, like poems and nursery rhythms,” she replied, encouraged that Laeral seemed to expect that answer, “but none of it gives me any clues as to who I am or where I can from.” “But these flashes are becoming more frequent aren’t they?” Laeral probed with an expecting tone. “Yes,” Raven answered, her own anticipation growing. “I don’t remember having them for the first couple of years, but now I get one every couple of months or so.” “I thought as much,” Lady Arunsun confessed with a satisfied smile. “The effect is weakening. Even powerful magic fades over time… most of it anyway. I expect over the next few years you’ll remember more and more of your past with increasing frequency until the magic fails completely and your memory returns in full. However, that also means that anyone trying to locate you will have an increasing chance of doing so.” “I don’t care about that,” Raven exclaimed, so overjoyed at the prospect of her memory returning that she failed to consider the consequences. “You might when who… or what… you were hidden from finds you,” Laeral warned with a look of deep concern. “This isn’t just a pallor trick… it’s powerful, possible unique, magic that someone took great pains to conceal under that tattoo. Which tells me a powerful spell-caster had good reason to hide you.” Raven’s heart shuttered as she saw the apprehension in the Lady Mage of Waterdeep’s eyes, but the runes’ effects were fading and there was nothing she could do to prevent it, nor would she if she could. “I appreciate your concern milady,” Raven stated with true gratitude, “but I was just a defenseless girl when this was done to me… I’m not anymore! Maybe that’s intentional. Maybe it was only supposed to last until I could defend myself from who or what may be looking for me. In any case you’ve told me more in the last few minutes than I’ve learned in the last six years… and now I have hope that someday I will know who I am!”